Policy for the People

Hunger in Oregon is rising rapidly, a reflection of the economic insecurity afflicting so many families.In this episode of Policy for the People, we speak with Susannah Morgan, President of the Oregon Food Bank. As Susannah explains, the level of hunger right now is the worst that she has seen in her 28 years of working in food banks in several states.But as she points out, neither hunger nor poverty are inevitable. They are the result of public policy choices, and we can make better policy choices. Support the show

Dr. Stephen Bezruchka, former emergency room physician, discusses economic inequality's impact on health. Also, income inequality in Oregon is examined, and the relationship between economic inequality and health outcomes is explored. The podcast also discusses the impact of racism on health outcomes and geographical differences in life expectancy.

The share of children in the U.S. living in poverty has soared, according to new data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau. In today’s episode, we talk with Tyler Mac Innis, a policy analyst with the Oregon Center for Public Policy, about what’s behind the surge in child poverty. We also discuss how the federal government measures poverty in a way that significantly understates the number of families having trouble making ends meet.In the second half of the show, we explore a different, more accurate measure of economic insecurity developed by the United Way. We talk with Jim Cooper, President and CEO of United Way of the Pacific Northwest, about the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) Index, and what this measure economic insecurity tells us about the current reality facing Oregon families.Support the show

This special episode examines what is looking increasingly likely: a federal government shutdown. Unless Congress can pass a continuing budget resolution by September 30, the shutdown will begin on Sunday, October 1.What would a federal government shutdown mean for people in Oregon and across the nation? Who would be most affected? And what are the deeper policy and ideological differences driving the nation toward a federal government shutdown?To examine these issues, the Oregon Center for Public Policy’s Executive Director, Alejandro Queral, spoke with someone with decades of experience navigating the halls of Congress: Ellen Nissenbaum, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.Support the show

All of the strike activity we’re seeing right now is a hopeful sign for those who want to see an economy that works for everyone. In this episode, we speak with Margaret Poydock and Jennifer Sherer of the Economic Policy Institute, co-authors of the recent report What to know about this summer’s strike activity. We discuss what’s driving the recent wave of strikes, the challenges workers encounter when seeking to strike, and the policy changes that would strengthen workers’ ability to act collectively. Support the show

Money is power. And the extreme concentration of wealth that we're seeing means that more and more political power is in the hands of billionaires, who use that power to further increase their wealth, according to today’s guest, Bob Lord. Bob is the Senior Advisor on Tax Policy for Patriotic Millionaires, as well as an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies.In this episode of Policy for the People, we talk with Bob Lord about why taxing the rich is essential in order to shrink inequality and save our democracy. Support the show

On July 1, workers in one region of Oregon achieved what once seemed an inspired goal. The minimum wage in the Portland metro area — not in the rest of the state — crossed the $15 an hour level. But this milestone arrived more than a decade after workers across the country began demanding a $15 an hour minimum wage.In this episode, we examine how much actual progress Oregon’s minimum wage workers made since the legislature established a new minimum wage law seven years ago.We finish with a brief discussion on a big win for Oregon’s most vulnerable children: the legislature’s decision to establish the Oregon Kids' Credit, a new state child tax credit.Support the show

Last month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that threats of violence against the LGBT community are on the rise. We’ve also seen a slew of anti-LGBT legislation in statehouses across the country.  In addition to increased hostility and threats to physical safety, the LGBT community also faces higher levels of another form of violence, what Gandhi described as “the worst form of violence”: poverty.In this episode of Policy for the People, we discuss the issue of poverty in the LGBT community with Dr. Bianca D.M. Wilson, a Senior Scholar of Public Policy with the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. The Williams Institute is the nation’s leading research center on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy.Support the show

The clock is ticking on the nation’s ability to pay its debts, as U.S. House Republicans refuse to raise the debt ceiling unless Democrats and the White House agree to steep budget cuts. While much of the attention has been on the economic crisis that could follow a default by the U.S. on its debt obligations, that’s not the only risk facing the nation and our state.In this special episode of Policy for the People, we examine what’s at stake for Oregonians in the debt ceiling negotiations.OCPP executive director Alejandro Queral spoke with Whitney Tucker, Director of State Fiscal Policy Research at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, about the economic hardship that would fall on Oregonians from the budget cuts sought by House Republicans.Support the show

Over the past four-and-a-half decades, we have seen economic inequality return with a vengeance. We're living through a new Gilded Age, comparable to the one at the turn of the 19th Century. The first Gilded Age was the age of Rockefeller and Carnegie; ours is the age of Bezos and Knight. The return of extreme wealth inequality is the result of public policy choices, not least decisions in how we tax the superrich.In this episode of Policy for the People, we look at two different policies on how we tax – or don’t tax – the wealthy. In the first segment, we examine the tax break known as Opportunity Zones. Bennett Minton of Tax Fairness Oregon explains why this is a tax break where only the rich can play.In the second segment, the Oregon Center for Public Policy’s Daniel Hauser discusses a recent attempt by some Oregon lawmakers to fast-track a repeal of the estate tax – the only real mechanism we have in Oregon for taxing extreme wealth.Support the show